Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Victims/Survivors of Sexual Violence in Conflict and Emergency Settings : A Scoping Review

Mental health and psychosocial support is widely acknowledged as an integral part of the assistance offered to victims/survivors of sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings. This scoping review aims to shed light on the evidence for such interventions offered locally to victims/survivors aged 16 and above. The Cochrane, Cochrane Review, MedKnow, ProQuest, PsychInfo, PubMed, Sage Journals and Taylor & Francis databases were searched for articles published between 2009 and 2022 in this PRISMA-compliant scoping review. Data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted by the authors and results were synthesized by core themes. Out of 5,111 publications retrieved, four met the inclusion criteria and provided context-specific evidence for: Cognitive Processing Therapy, Narrative Exposure Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, and basic psychosocial support integrated into a group economic intervention. No studies were found with interventions at the levels of focused psychosocial support and specialized mental health care. Most studies involved task-shifting from professionals to lay counselors and most pre-post measures were related to symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Further research is needed with more diverse populations and settings, to more rigorously explore and inform current MHPSS interventions for victims/survivors of sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings.

Key implications for practice

• Evidence remains scarce for mental health and psychosocial interventions tailored to victims/survivors of sexual violence in conflict and emergency settings.
• Past research tends to focus on psychological support. Evidence is lacking particularly at the levels of basic and focused psychosocial support.
• More systematic use of standardized monitoring tools and operational research is needed to document good practices and strengthen the evidence base.